Lapis Lazuli
by The Writer Triumphant
Summary: Post KHII. Sora just wants to tell Riku that he loves him. Riku just wants it to be that simple. And really, it is. [sexual content]
1. I Kairi

**Lapis Lazuli

* * *

**

**Opening Note:** Because I keep writing AU stuff. This will be a threeshot, written first from Kairi's POV, then from Riku's, and then Sora's. Okay. Not first person POV, or third. A weird kind of second, actually. Whatever.

**Discalimer:** _noun_ (law) a voluntary repudiation of a person's legal claim to something. I claim no legal ownership to Kingdom Hearts. Blah, blah, blah. The characters belong to SquareEnix. But you know what? I don't want a legal claim. Because if I did, I'd have to have Sora fall in love with _Kairi_. So I'm content sitting here, twisting and manipulating.

**Dedication:** For all the authors on my favorites list, and for all those who have me on theirs.

* * *

**I. Kairi**

You watch him, warmed by that cool pacific lapis lazuli. How good it feels to see those eyes again after so long. So long. You reach out and take his hand, delighted when he squeezes yours gently. A sign of affection, for sure. He smiles, and you both turn to watch the sunset. You remember that time... when you said, "Don't ever change". But he has. He's grown out of his awkwardness, even though he still has that radiant innocence about him. You know that he's so much wiser now.

But even though he's wiser, even though he claims to know the ways of the heart, you know it isn't true. Ansem the Wise died still not fully understanding the power of a heart, and even Sora is still a few steps away from grasping it. He kisses you lightly on the cheek and you're happy. But you know it doesn't man anything. You know that "I'm so glad I found you, Kairi..." and "We'll be together every day" are words and promises that pale in comparison to the unspoken glances and the heated promises you know he shares with his best friend. Sora pays attention to you, runs his fingers through your dark auburn red hair, holds you. But there is much more intimacy in the way he leans against the paopu tree and looks up into Riku's sea hued eyes.

"Sora...?"

"Yeah, Kairi?" he asks, looking over at you, looking away from the riot of color that is the sunset.

"I'm glad you're back. Both of you."

"So am I." He smiles, breathes in the warm air once before it starts to cool, red and violet and gold bleeding away, dark blues and velvet black dominating the skies. He leans over to you and you close your eyes, hesitate, and move enough so that his lips touch your cheek instead.

"Kairi..." he looks almost disappointed, almost confused. But you can't tell in the coming dark.

"You came back, Sora. You came home. That's all I need. And for you to be happy." You find yourself choking on the words. Destiny is cruel.

"I came back to _you_," he insists, but you hear the note of determination in his voice, know that he's trying to convince himself, as well.

"You came back to the island," you correct him. "Because this is your world. Because you belong here."

"Kairi... I lo –'' you shake your head, stopping him, and he trails off. In the moonlight you can almost see relief on his face. You're only hurt for a moment. He's starting to see it now, isn't he?

"I know you mean it. But you don't mean it that way."

He nods.

"We'll always be a part of each other, Sora. Roxas and Namine... they'll always be together as long as we are. But..."

"Our friendship is strong."

"Yes."

He kisses you again, embraces you like a friend, not as a young man trying to convince himself that he has to love you the way a man should love a woman. He pulls you up, and together you walk down the beach.

"I knew it when you cried," you say at last, when you've reached your boats.

"I was so happy," he replies, carefully undoing the knot of rope.

"So was he, Sora. I felt it between you two. So powerful I almost pulled away. But so beautiful."

"The force of destiny, right?" he laughs, half in mirth and half in bitterness.

"You can't deny it."

He sighs. "I know. But how..." he trails off, looks up at the stars.

"You love him." He doesn't flinch.

"It doesn't bother you?" he asks. "You don't think it's wrong to..."

You smile, amused by the bewildered look on his face. "It hurt me a little," you admit, and step back when he comes forward, shake you heard. "It doesn't so much anymore. And it won't ever again once you're happy. Both of you."

"I'm scared."

You stare at him, barely able to see that deepness in his eyes. "You fought... Sora, you fought Heartless. And Xemnas. You went through all of that."

"I was scared then, too."

"But how did you feel after?" you ask, knowing he can't escape this. Because you know the answer before he even says it.

"...Relieved. Happy. Light."

You nod, take his hand. "Just think of that, then. When you talk to him."

"..."

"You're going to talk to him." You say it as a statement. Not as a question, not as a demand.

"Yeah..."

"Don't be afraid," you say, and the words echo in the dark. The stars are bright tonight. He pushes his boat out a little and the quiet waves catch it. He picks up an oar and steadies it. The row back is short and mostly quiet, though you try teasing him a little to lighten the mood.

"Which one of you would wear the pants in your relationship, I wonder?" you ask innocently.

"Kairi!" he protests.

"Admit it, you want him to dominate you."

"_Kairi!_" he slaps his oar and a mild splash wets your lap. By the time you get to shore you're both damp. He looks wistful as he ties his boat up, then helps you with yours.

"What?" you ask, poking him and grinning. Already the hurt has lessened considerably.

"I was just wondering what it would be like..." he shrugs. By the light of dock you can see he's blushing a little bit.

"Don't finish that sentence," you warn him. He grins. "Bad Sora." But you smile and push him gently, stand on tiptoe and kiss his cheek. He smiles, hugs you, picking you up and spinning you around once. It almost hurts again. Just a little. But then you think of Sora and Riku, leaning against the paopu tree, not afraid to look at one another, and you don't care.

* * *

**- The Writer**


	2. II Riku

**Lapis Lazuli

* * *

**

**Opening Note:** Because I keep writing AU stuff. This will be a threeshot, written first from Kairi's POV, then from Riku's, and then Sora's. Okay. Not first person POV, or third. A weird kind of second, actually. Whatever.

**Discalimer:** _noun_ (law) a voluntary repudiation of a person's legal claim to something. I claim no legal ownership to Kingdom Hearts. Blah, blah, blah. The characters belong to SquareEnix. But you know what? I don't want a legal claim. Because if I did, I'd have to have Sora fall in love with _Kairi_. So I'm content sitting here, twisting and manipulating.

**Dedication:** For all the authors on my favorites list, and for all those who have me on theirs.

* * *

**II. Riku**

You wonder, as you watch him play with Tidus and Wakka, what he would say, how he would react if you told him. You hate yourself for not being able to say the words, but you can almost hate yourself just as much for feeling this way in the first place. He turns to smile and wave at you, his eyes a brief flash of pure lapis lazuli before he turns back to the game, jumping up and splashing as the clumsily hits the blitzball at Tidus. The water clings to him, and you have to look away before you start having _those_ thoughts again.

You finger the object in your pocket, the keychain you've made for him. It's a simple piece of silver bent and woven into the shape of a heart. You like to think your heart looks exactly like this one, artistically shaped, a gentle curve here and a sharp angle. It's asymmetrical and shines when you tilt it. You hope he'll accept it. Of course he will. The one in your pocket for sure. But what of the other?

"Riku!" he calls. "Come be on my team!"

You smile softly and head into the water, reaching out to ruffle his damp mess of hair before joining in the game. He laughs, and you laugh with him.

Later on you lean against the paopu tree and he lies in the gentle hammock bend of it. Neither of you say much, but you like it that way. At length you take the gift from your pocket and hold it out to him. He stares at it a moment, and then he's taken it and is admiring it, thanking you.

"I know you probably can't summon the keyblade anymore, but..."

"Thank you, Riku."

"Yeah..."

You look out at the sea and remember the conversation over a year ago that started the whole thing. Thinking back on it, you let a quiet chuckle escape. Really. How could you want to leave this island? Everything you need is here. Sora is here.

He's clipped your gift to one of the belts at his hip, and you smile.

"Do you ever... think about leaving again?" he asks, hesitantly.

"No," you answer after a moment. He visibly relaxes. "I had my adventure."

"_We_ had an adventure," he corrects, laughing.

"We did." You sigh. "Hey, Sora?"

"Yeah?"

"What if we'd never found the light? What if we'd been stuck there on that dark beach?" He thinks about this often.

"Well..." Sora swings his legs back and forth, looks out at the waves. "I... wouldn't have minded."

You look up at him, hopeful. "Wouldn't you have missed Kairi?"

He looks at you, puzzled. "Yeah... I would have.'

You nod. Of course. There was Kairi to consider. And you already knew about Roxas and Namine. You scoff at yourself. How could you think Sora would let that go?

"But I would have had you."

You shift your weight from one foot to the other. The way he says that... You look up at him again. "Kairi would have missed you." His face falls slightly. "She would have missed both of us, Riku. But if she... if she knew we were together she might not feel so bad."

You can't resist the double meaning of that.

Clear lapis lazuli eyes blink once, twice. He seems to be waiting for something. You notice now he's leaning down just the slightest bit, and then a little more. If you wanted, you could reach up and drag him down. Kiss him.

"I wouldn't have minded it, either," you hear yourself saying. "Being there... so long as I had you." There's too much truth in your words and your common sense is telling you to back away, change the subject, step away. Step back, Riku. And you do, very reluctantly. Is that disappointment in his eyes? You decide not to think about it, and look out at the ocean again, heart racing. If only he knew how well he plays your heartbeat. Like a drum.

"I told you about Pooh, right?" he asks suddenly, and you nod, wondering why he's bringing up a stuffed animal all of a sudden.

"I just... thought of something he said to me."

"Oh?" You're curious now.

Sora smiles, looks you straight in the eye. "If you lived to be one hundred," he begins, his face close to yours again. Breathe, Riku. "I want to live to be one hundred minus one day..." You reach out to steady him, keep him from falling, but he leans into your touch, and you can feel that he's trembling. And not from fear of falling. He's not that far forward yet, just far enough to –

"Sora?"

"So that I'd never have to live without you," he finishes.

You decide to lock your common sense away in the far corner of your mind. This is perfect. You, Sora. The keychain you made him on his hip, tilted at that angle where it shines. All that's left is for you to say the words.

You've formed them in your mind, and just as you open your mouth to speak, something that sounds vaguely like a music box and a parade cuts through your perfect hesitant pause.

Sora groans, pulls back, and rummages around in his pocket for the cell phone.

"Mom?" he says. You can make out his mother's voice. Not the words, no. But she doesn't sound happy. Sora winces.

"Sorry, Riku," he hops down from the tree, shoves his hands into his pockets and kicks at the ground. "Mom says if I'm not home in fifteen minutes I won't be allowed out here anymore. I... kinda left my chores..." he shrugs, grins.

You nod.

"I'll see you tomorrow," he calls, heading for the dock, your gift bouncing on his hip.

You sigh and head out to the beach as well, thinking you'll just sit for a little while before going home yourself.

You're standing there, just watching the quiet waves, and you don't hear her come up behind you.

"There's always tomorrow," she says. You look around at her, not daring believe... She smiles, and you know she knows. How could she not? She was the one who saw through your disguise. How could she miss this?

"Kairi..." You expect her to start crying. Not loud uncontrollable sobs, but don't-worry-I-understand ones. So you nearly choke on your own spit at what she does say, perfectly calm, "I'm surprised you didn't pin him to the tree and start molesting him."

"You were watching?"

She shrugs.

"No. But I knew you two were over there." She grins. You start to think she perhaps spent too much time around Selphie while you were gone. You even open your mouth to comment on it, but instead, "There's always tomorrow."

* * *

**- The Writer**


	3. III Sora

**Lapis Lazuli

* * *

**

**Opening Note:** Because I keep writing AU stuff. This will be a threeshot, written first from Kairi's POV, then from Riku's, and then Sora's. Okay. Not first person POV, or third. A weird kind of second, actually. Whatever.

**Note:** This part contains probably the most detailed... _intimate_ scene I've ever written. So those of you that are used to my very subtle sweet fluff... yeah. Not here. I'd warn you about the pairing and all that jazz, but you've come in this deep, right? Right.

**Discalimer:** _noun_ (law) a voluntary repudiation of a person's legal claim to something. I claim no legal ownership to Kingdom Hearts. Blah, blah, blah. The characters belong to SquareEnix. But you know what? I don't want a legal claim. Because if I did, I'd have to have Sora fall in love with _Kairi_. So I'm content sitting here, twisting and manipulating.

**Dedication:** For all the authors on my favorites list, and for all those who have me on theirs.

* * *

**III. Sora**

You find him where you always do, because he's _Riku_, and of course, because of yesterday. Yesterday. Could you have been any more obvious? Riku wasn't _that_ thick, was he? Maybe he just didn't want to hurt you. Was that it? He was, after all, your friend. Your best friend. Maybe you should rethink this? But no. Yesterday. Yesterday had felt so right, and you're sure that if your Mom hadn't called...

You allow your imagination to run wild for a moment, then realize that you've been standing there like an idiot for the past five minutes, and Riku. Is. Over. There.

You walk across the bridge and he turns, hearing your footsteps. He's smiling, and his eyes brush over you, down to your hip, where the keychain he gave you bounces lightly. It's nearing sunset, and no one else is on the island. You met Kairi in passing, just a few moments ago, and she smiled knowingly. You felt your stomach flop then and there, and she laughed at you, the look on your face, told you not to be afraid. You paced yourself rowing, but your heart is still beating as fast as a hummingbird's wing.

Damn.

"You just missed Kairi," he says.

"I know. I passed her on the way." You go over to him, sit on the low part of the tree beside him. Everything you planned to say is suddenly lost. You think you might just push him into the water now. Something.

"Hey, Sora?" he says suddenly.

"Yeah?"

"Do you miss Goofy and Donald?"

You sigh. Maybe he doesn't want to think about yesterday. You nod. "Sometimes. I wonder what they're doing now." You smile. "When we were bored, we'd make funny faces at each other."

Riku laughs, and you tell him how you first met them, how Donald insisted that the Gummi Ship ran on "happy faces". You both laugh for a while, then you tell him how you'd sing in the Gummi Ship when you were bored, and how You always argued with Donald and Goofy tried to be the peacemaker. You tell him about swinging through the vines with Tarzan, about that embarrassing scene in Land of Dragons where Goofy was the only one who noticed Ping was female.

Riku laughs hard at that.

"Hey!" you protest, trying to keep from laughing, "How was I supposed to know?" You laugh for a long while at that.

"I never thought," you say, laughter subsiding now, "Remember when we were kids? We dreamed of adventures? I never thought it would actually happen, and that my companions would be a duck and a... a..." Riku starts laughing again.

"Well, we never imagined that we'd run into a talking mouse, either. And that he'd be king."

You look out at the ocean together again, and for a long while, neither of you says anything. The sun is lower in the sky now, and already the blue is streaked with gold. Orange. Red. You look up and imagine you see the first star shining through. You look over at Riku and find that he's staring at you.

"I don't know what I would have done if I hadn't found you, Riku," you hear yourself saying. He's quiet for a few moments, and you wonder if you've said something wrong. Then he's standing in front of you, and one of his hands cautiously reaches out, touches your hair. You lean into it, but not too much, and you feel yourself trembling again.

"Sora..."

You look up at him, then, patient.

"I love you," he manages to say at last. "I always have."

It's all you need to hear. You close the distance between you, hearing him whisper your name once before your lips touch. It's thrilling, the gentleness of it, and after a moment he steps closer to you, wrapping his arms around you, and you tilt your head back just a little, suckling his bottom lip and delighting in the moan it produces. He in turn runs his tongue lightly over your lips and you can't suppress the shiver that runs up and down your body. He gently bites your lip, his tongue darting out to it again, and you gasp. His tongue slides past your lips and you hold onto him, feeling weak. You are hesitant, but soon your tongue is exploring his mouth as well, and the quiet is filled with sighs and soft moans. He whispers your name, his voice layered with husk, and you can't believe how intense his gaze is.

You let him pull you down onto the sand, whimper in ecstasy when he breaks your kiss to leave a trail of sweet, feather light ones along your neck. You groan, wanting to do something for him, make him feel that same wonderful ache quaver all over. You run your hands through his hair, trail them down his back, folding the cloth of his shirt back and feel his breath hitch. His skin is warm and firm and your fingers dig into it as his mouth descends on yours again. Sweet torture. His own hands slip under your shirt as well, lightly stroking the faint lines of muscle, and you have to slip your fingers under the waistband of his pants to even hope to match the pleasure for him.

He stiffens a moment, pulls back to look at you. You sit up and pull off your shirt, pull him down for another kiss. He relaxes and you wait until you can't stand it and you arch your back a little, pulling him gently down to the sand and grinding your hips against his. He gasps in surprise and moans into your mouth, breaks the kiss and buries his face in your neck. You move against him again, and he makes a sound in the back of his throat that you love because it's for you alone.

"Sora...?"

His voice is raw with emotion. You almost panic, but you can't stop now. That warmth is spreading everywhere, and as your fingers reach down and pull at the fastenings of his pants, you meet his eyes.

"Sora."

"Riku... I... I need you," you choke out, and he nods, kisses you again. This one is more passionate than the others. This one is lust, and his hand reaches down to help you, and after a moment you feel the warmth of the sunset. It's red and gold and orange and purple now, and you switch positions for a moment, placing a chain of kisses from his lips down his jawline to his collarbone, slowly letting your hand wrap around his manhood.

His body arches and your hand moves, stroking and feeling him harden beneath you with each moan. Finally, you take the length into your mouth. Somehow, you know exactly how to do this, to please him, and when you're done he's breathing heavily and you only have a moment to breathe before you find yourself flat on your back again, and he's giving you the same attentions. You can only hope that you were this good to him.

The angles of your bodies seem to compliment each other perfectly, so that when you're both ready it's everything you ever wanted and more.

For a long time after, all you can say is his name, and he yours. Then you're both looking up at the stars, the last of the lapis lazuli fading from the sky.

* * *

It's been days, but the feeling hasn't left you. Whenever you're with him, you're happy. Just as you always were, but now it threatens to overwhelm you. You don't care. Once again, you're together, looking out at the ocean. You lean against the tree and he sits above you. You've been thinking a lot today, and at last you ask something you've been wanting his opinion on.

"Hey, Riku, what do you think it was... the door of light?"

He smiles and laughs, jumps down and faces you.

"Here." His fingertip lightly touches the place above your heart, and you smile, understanding. The moment is so perfect you think you might just kiss him, but suddenly Kairi is there, coming across the bridge and calling, "Sora! Riku!"

"Hey, Kairi, what's up?"

She holds out a bottled message. The paper is stamped with the king's seal.

* * *

**- The Writer**


End file.
